It is good that India’s newly appointed national knowledge commission means business. This is reflected in commission’s innovative business procedure. The government appears to have prescribed an innovative two-tiered approach for the conduct of commission’s business.
At the top-level commission’s work will be guided by a national steering group (NSG) under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister with 1. Minister of Human Resource Development, 2. Minister of Agriculture, 3. Minister of Commerce and Industry, 4. Minister of Communication and Information Technology, 5. Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, and Minister of State, Science and Technology, as its members. The ministers associated with the national steering group are those whose ministries are concerned with the terms of reference of the commission.
At the second tier, the 8-member commission, which has multi-disciplinary expertise, will deliberate on its terms of reference and seek guidance from the national steering group (STG). At this tier laterally, there will also be working groups (WGs) in the concerned departments / ministries which will hopefully provide necessary inputs to the commission to enable it to deliberate on its terms of reference and make appropriate recommendations to the national steering group (NSG). Much will depend upon how these working groups (WGs) are constituted and what mandate is given to them. Also, and lastly, at the this tier itself laterally, there will be a technical support group (TSG) “to be staffed by young recruits, hired on contract from premier educational institutions in the country.” What support will this group provide to the commission, however, is unclear.
Government has prescribed a unique procedure for the knowledge commission. Typically, such commissions in government are one-shot affair. The commissions collect necessary facts and figures, deliberate on its terms of reference, make recommendations to the government within a specified time period and then become functus officio. On the acceptance of their recommendations by the concerned department / ministry, the concerned department / ministry implements the accepted recommendations. It appears that in the case of the knowledge commission, the commission will make its recommendations to the government piecemeal, obtain government’s orders on them from time to time and then oversee their implementation. If this be the case then the knowledge commission must tread this path very carefully lest it treads on the toes of the departments / ministries which will surely, and understandably, defend their well-guarded turfs.
This is a genuine danger and the knowledge commission must resist the temptation to yield to it. Let the concerned departments / ministries be the implementing agencies, which they are. The knowledge commission must only be a recommendatory or advisory body and should in no case assume any implementing responsibility. If it does so, it will be perceived as a super-department or super-ministry, which can only have unproductive results as the commission will not be able to secure the loyalty of public personnel working under the administrative control of other departments / ministries.
Dr D.C. Misra
June 22, 2005
A Reader writes: 6/12/2005 2-11 p.m.
Subject: India’s National Knowledge Commission: Oh! billion Gods! Save this Country from inactive commissions!
Dear Dr. D.C. Misra,
I never knew there was such as - National Knowledge Commission - existing in India!. Wow ! We have so many commissions the act of which never reach the grass roots.
I worked in the Information and Communication Technology Sector since 1988 to date But not a single soul from either Government and nor Non Government ever contacted me to ask what is your dream? what you want to do for the nation? how much did you suffer by putting yourself at work in grassroot level?
ICT in India ? Can it really penetrate at Grass Root Level and Empower the Common Man?
What is the use of such commissions which do not have any meaning for its existence nor its actions?
Oh! billion Gods ! Save this Country from inactive commissions!
Er. Hemanta
--- "Dr D.C.Misra"
> Cyber Quiz: NKC-1:India's National Knowledge
> Commission-1: Its Composition: High time it launches its website
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My Comments:
My dear Er Hemanta,
I appreciate your good work and share your concerns. However, there is no need to be cynical about it. We have high expectations from the knowledge commission. Let us help it in its deliberations and all of us can contribute to its success. Hopefully it will meet our expectations.
Dr D.C. Misra
June 22, 2005
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